Proverbs 8:22-23. 22“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. 23Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
Christmas isn’t the beginning of Jesus, nor is it the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 8 has Wisdom declaring her presence at the creation of all things – the Lord possessed me at the beginning…before the beginning.
Some Bible scholars have even interpreted this as Jesus talking. Although that might be a bit of a stretch, we can see where this interpretation comes from when we read John 1:1.
John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Obviously John’s interpretation of Proverbs 8 (and the whole Old Testament) goes even further, to the point of calling the Word of God, God. God’s Word is also God. Not simply because it is the fullest representation of God, but because the Word of God is the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, Jesus.
This is Jesus before Christmas. Before creation.
Jesus wasn’t always flesh and blood. He had to take on flesh and dwell among us (John 1:14). Jesus didn’t become God, he became man. He was God. For all eternity past he has been God. God the Son shares every attribute and every perfection of God the Father. He has always ruled as God, received worship as God, and done everything God does.
And, of course, he is still God. And he is still man. He dwells in flesh as the supreme God of the universe. You see, the incarnation was not a subtraction from the Word, it was an addition. God the Son added another nature, a human nature, to his already existent divine nature. This is why Jesus was able to be sinless in his human nature, because his human nature could never violate his divine nature. Everything Jesus did on Earth, and now does in Heaven is both completely human and completely divine. While on Earth, Jesus limited his divine nature so as to not override his human nature. That’s why he could feel pain, face temptation, be sad, and die. But he didn’t completely limit his divine nature while on Earth. Because his two natures are fully separate he could still act from his divinity too. For example, the child Jesus, who had to learn how to walk and talk, was simultaneously sustaining the universe. He grew in wisdom while being all wisdom.
Why am I telling you all this? Why this post-Christmas theology lesson? Because the incarnation IS wisdom. It’s the same wisdom that was present with God at creation and the same wisdom that is upheld throughout this book of Proverbs.
The incarnation of Christ is the fullness of all wisdom. Jesus is the wisdom of God in a divine person. Literally, without Jesus, everything God created and everything God says in his word is meaningless and just plain stupid. It makes no sense whatsoever. If there is no redemption in Christ, then why bother fearing the Lord? Why trust him with all your heart? If there is no redemption and reconciliation for humanity, then why bother doing righteousness and maintaining our integrity? Why work hard and pursue understanding of the world? If there’s no salvation, why not eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die?
But Christ did come. We are saved. Wisdom lives in us. Our lives have meaning and purpose. Every day is full of awe and wonder. There’s a world beyond this one that will never let you down. So take joy. Hold on to hope in Jesus. Forgive. Love. Serve. And be wise.
You: Where can you see God’s wisdom in creation? What about in the incarnation?
You in Christ: How does the incarnation define God’s wisdom for us?
Christ in you: What will a wise life look like if it looks like incarnation?
Prayer: Jesus, you are all of God’s wisdom in me. May the wisdom of incarnation motivate me. Amen.
To Live is Christ 